New Area Idea - The Commonwealth
Touted as the last true bastion of science and learning, the Commonwealth is the vast remnant of central eastern Massachusetts and home of the mysterious Institute, producer of incredibly lifelike androids. The Commonwealth is also home to the Railroad, an underground organization dedicated to freeing the androids from their Institute creators. Surrounding the fortified inner city, however, are hordes of failed experiments, new breeds of Super Mutants, and other, nameless horrors. The northern wastes were also the destination of the knowledgeable Doctor Madison Li, whose chemical expertise may soon be required... Features An open, non-linear wasteland, similar to Point Lookout in size. An extension on the main quest. Special opportunities for Computer Whizzes, Robotics Experts, Cyborgs, and players with a high Science skill. New robot and android companions. A sixth Super Mutant Behemoth. And much more! Story After the events of Broken Steel, the Brotherhood finally entered a period of rest and recuperation, when it was realized that there was a critical fault within Project Purity. The pressure building during the final battle at the Memorial was only temporarily released, and after disabling the purifier and releasing it, the Brotherhood is unable to restart the Project. It was determined that only one scientist was still alive with the knowledge to repair the broken purifier: Madison Li, who had recently left for the far northern lands of the Commonwealth. So, the quest lies before the Lone Wanderer: find a way to the Commonwealth and locate Doctor Li. Both tasks, however, are easier said than done. Main Quest Maps Rhyme With... After the mod is activated, Scribe Bigsley can be found outside Project Purity, and will inform the player of the situation. He will also state that an out-of-town ferryman from the southern swamps was considering making the trip to the Commonwealth, and that you might have luck there. The ferryman is none other than Tobar, who would be traveling to the Commonwealth if he still had maps to the area. Sadly, the only known maps of the region are located in the Super Mutant-infested Air, Space, and Sea Museum on The Mall. Note that if Tobar is dead, Desmond will take over the ferryboat and preform the exact same functions. Tobar is willing to go for them himself, for the cost of 2500 caps, or with the Black Widow perk. Because of the massive amount of loot and experience to be had in the ASS Museum, this is not recommended. If the player chooses to go themselves, they can have Tobar assist them as a temporary companion by passing a speech check. Alternatively, passing three very difficult speech checks will convince Tobar to sail without maps. If you use the Black Widow perk, pay 2500 caps, or convince Tobar to sail blind, you can buy the key mentioned below after you return from the Commonwealth for 740 caps. The ASS Museum is located nearby the Museum of Technology, but the entrance is covered in rubble. Tobar, either before you leave or as you arrive, depending on whether he is accompanying you or not, will inform you that the Super Mutant trenches on the mall have a tunnel that leads into the museum basement, to which he has the key. The Museum is a typical dungeon, filled with Super Mutants of all varieties. There are also a new weapon: the Chinese Missile Launcher, which can be found on the corpses of Masters and Overlords. The behemoth located in the second story map room drops a named launcher, Chairman Cheng's Boomstick. Once the behemoth is dead (or prior, with sufficient sneak skill), the maps in the chamber can be looted. Several non-quest maps can also be found, which are considered House items and will be displayed in your house as soon as you obtain them. The Map Room has an elevator back to the basement, where you can exit the museum and return to the dock. The Uncommonwealth Once the map or caps are secure, you can travel to the Commonwealth. If you obtained the maps yourself, you can pass one speech check to get Tobar to halve his prices, and a second speech check to distribute Point Lookout and Commonwealth tickets for free. With neutral karma, you can also recruit him as a permanent companion. Upon arriving in the Commonwealth you'll be greeted by two Sentry Bots who react differently depending on how you completed The Replicated Man: * If you killed Dr. Zimmer or allowed Harkness to do the same, they will attack. * If you fooled Dr. Zimmer or didn't complete the quest, they will offer a generic greeting and do nothing. * If you turned in Harkness or wiped his memory, they will open a dialogue with you and escort you to the Institute. If you are attacked, the robots will be shut down after around five seconds by none other than Dr. Zimmer. He will explain that his fellow scientists created a near identical android body for him. He will attack you unless you end the dialogue with the following: * A science skill check stating you've learned the significance of the research they're doing. * The Cyborg perk, stating you know what it is like to be partially robotic and agree with the Institute's position. * A speech check, stating you didn't have a hand in his murder. This only applies if Harkness killed Dr. Zimmer. * A karma check, requiring neutral or evil karma, stating you no longer care about the fate of the androids. If he does attack you, you can holster your weapon and enter another dialogue to side with Dr. Zimmer without any of the above conditions. No matter how the encounter turns out, unless you kill Zimmer, the Sentry Bots will either escort you to the Institute or inform you of its position. If you kill Zimmer, the sentry bots become hostile again. At this time your objective changes from locating the Institute to finding someone else to help locate Doctor Li, and you skip down to Riding the Railroad. Upon reaching the labs, you will be greeted by Dr. Zimmer if you had not already met him. If he did not die in course of The Replicated Man, he'll inform you of his new enhanced android body and question why you've arrived in the Commonwealth. * You can lie and say you came to join the Institute, which Dr. Zimmer will respond to differently depending on the highest of either your Science, Medicine, and Repair skills. * You can tell him you were looking for help on a water purification device, to which he'll direct you to Chemist Brend inside the Institute. This requires a speech check, and skips a sidequest. * You can outright tell him you're looking for Dr. Li, and he will suspiciously deny having seen her since his time in Rivet City. Opting for the first choice will send you on one of four sidequests, depending on your science, medicine, and repair skills. Under the Sealurk If your science skill is above 75 and the highest of the above three skills, you'll be sent to Doctor Carthardt. Carthardt will inform you that the mainframe in the basement of the Institute is malfunctioning and sends you to repair it. The basement is also the site of a battle between the Institute's robots and a resident tribe of Sealurks, the Commonwealth's variety of Mirelurk. After destroying the Sealurk egg pods choking the main terminal and hacking an average computer, the mainframe comes online. However, also on the terminal are documents designating the fate of several other android escapees: death. Flush the Rads If your medicine skill is above 75 and the highest of the above three skills, you'll be sent to Surgeon Jones. Jones informs you that she needs a strong anti-mutagen agent to experiment on a new synthetic human. Unfortunately, the Institute's stock is reserved for the personnel, and you'll need to retrieve it from an old bomb shelter in the ruins to the south, infested cybernetically enhanced ghouls. After finding the agent, however, you'll find the remains of several people which can be medically determined as androids. The Finest Minds If your repair skill is above 75 and the highest of the above three skills, you'll be sent to Constructor Dalrund. Category:FO3 Mod ideas